Friday, August 20, 2010

The Foley and Malloy Prospectus Compared Part 7– Environment

This is the seventh in a series of blog posting regarding the plans of the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, Tom Foley and Dan Malloy. All of the information provided in the posting is from the candidate’s web sites, http://www.danmalloy.com/policy and http://www.tomfoley2010.com clicking on the “Issues” and “Tom’s Plan” selections. The opinions are my own and not cleared with either candidate’s staff. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a supporter of Dan Malloy and worked as a volunteer on his 2006 campaign as well as the current 2010 campaign.

I will begin with some general observations about the plans that the candidates have posted on their web sites. If less is more, then Foley wins hands down. His plan turns out to be seven pages in my word document. The Malloy plan is a whopping forty eight pages with great detail. I guess that is fitting since most Republicans believe less government is better, obviously a short plan will lead to less government. From the Democratic perspective, government is good and Malloy shows just how he plans to shape and change much of the state government in great detail.

Of course, there is no guarantee that either of the candidate’s will do what they lay out on their web site when actually in office, but like a stock prospectus, it is an indication of the plan and direction each candidate will pursue once in office.

I am leaving out much of the explanatory text in the plans and just noting the planned action items. Both plans are written in the first person, so I will keep that same format as I quote or paraphrase from each plan. The reader will have to remember that the occasional “I” is either “Governor” Foley or “Governor” Malloy.

This comparison continues with the prospective governors’ take on the environment. Since I started with “Governor” Malloy in the last post, I will start with “Governor” Foley in this post. I will continue this alternate presenting throughout this series of postings.

“Governor” Tom FoleyConnecticut has a triple opportunity to improve our air quality, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and create jobs by promoting development of alternative energy technology here at home. Connecticut has some of the most beautiful natural assets in the world. Our shoreline, lakes, rivers, and open spaces must be protected and preserved for future generations.

“Governor” Dan MalloyClean WaterWork with environmental experts to find innovative ways to reduce the pollution, toxins and chemicals flowing into Long Island Sound. Invest in clean water projects such as sewage treatment plant upgrades Engage municipalities in the fight against water pollution by incentivizing green infrastructure like permeable pavers, vegetated swales, and greening of public areas to prevent runoff from reaching the storm system. Ensure that DEP has the resources and support it needs to seek out polluters and hold them accountable Encourage homeowners and businesses around the state to adopt greener and cleaner habits Work with leaders from neighboring states, including Congressional delegations, to ensure that Long Island Sound gets the best defense against misguided energy projects like Broadwater, and moves up on the federal priority list when it comes to funding projects. Clean Air

Energy Efficiency: Push for advanced energy codes for new buildings, including requirements that new construction be "electric-vehicle ready" Establish a state goal for "net-zero energy buildings," or buildings that produce at least as much energy as they consume. Protect the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funds Support initiatives found in this year's energy bill which Gov. Rell vetoed, including: Allow municipalities to bond for PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Established current Energy Star guidelines as the minimum performance standard for televisions sold in the stateAdd jobs to the solar industry by pushing for an increase in solar power usage.

Transportation: Improve public transportation to take cars off our roads and help clean up our air. Supporting local communities in building out parking at train stationsBuilding new rail connections from New Haven to SpringfieldWorking with Metro North to send more frequent cars up and down their linesPartnering with Amtrak to increase Shoreline East service. Work with our neighboring states to implement a Low Carbon Fuel Standard that reduces the carbon content of transportation fuels by 10% over the next decade, including taking the steps necessary to facilitate the roll out of electric vehicles. Land Use Preserve open space throughout the state. Call for the creation of a $500 million revolving account to assist communities in paying for cleanup and restoration of brownfields, with the expectation that the state would recover all costs of that account in a reasonable time period.

Comment“Governor” Foley combines Energy and the Environment in his plan so I just lifted the one sentence regarding the environment. Foley ties energy efficiency with improving the environment. “Governor” Malloy, on the other hand, has a detailed action plan that precedes and expands upon the Executive Summary that I reproduced for this article. Malloy again points out the programs he established or aided as mayor of Stamford and reflects on how this will help him establish the program as governor.